This disclosure relates to a sunshade assembly for a vehicle and, more particularly to a retractable sunshade assembly for shading a window of a vehicle. For purposes of this application, a sunshade is a screen (often retractable) that is typically used to shade a rear window associated with a rear seat while a sun visor is mounted in front of the driver and/or front seat passenger.
A basic sunshade assembly may generally include a sunshade screen mounted on a retractable roller, and at least one hook or other attachment mechanism for securing the sunscreen in a deployed position for shading a window. The roller is often recessed within an upper portion of a door or adjacent side panel of the vehicle, and concealed from view by a trim panel. The trim panel often has a slit through which the sunshade extends when being deployed or detracted from the roller.
For a given vehicle, an auto manufacturer often may equip only certain models with sunshades. For example, a base model vehicle may not include window shades, whereas a luxury model will typically include the feature. Other vehicles, such as fleet vehicles, also typically may not include sunshades. Providing some vehicles with sunshades and some without generally requires a manufacturer to source separate trim panels for each configuration in order to maintain a high level of fit and finish. For example, a trim panel for a vehicle including a sunshade will include the slit through which the sunshade passes while a trim panel for a base model not having a sunshade would not have the slit. Other design differences may exist such as, for example, the trim panel for a vehicle with a sunshade may be a different shape or have different fastening points (e.g., screw bosses, etc.) to accommodate the roller.
While providing separate trim panels results in a vehicle with a high level of fit and finish, it also increases costs to the manufacturer. These costs are in part the result of designing two separate panels and preparing separate molds to manufacture the different panels.